Hammonds of Hull revamp secures LUF backing

Three floors of the building will be transformed into office and events space, with the developer securing a Levelling Up Fund grant towards the £2.2m cost.

Redefine Paragon Square Hull Ltd’s scheme is being supported by Levelling Up Funding (LUF) and has been awarded £315,000 for the refurbishment of 1 Paragon Square.

The grant has come from LUF monies given to Hull City Council for city centre regeneration by the government’s Department of Levelling Up, Housing, Communities.

The application is to facilitate the repurposing of the basement, third and fourth floors of the building to allow for a mix of additional office space and event space.

The total project cost is estimated around £2,233,161, meaning over £1.91 million of private capital is to be invested by the applicant.

Refurbishment of 1 Paragon Square will bring back into use around 36,000 sq ft of vacant floorspace. Contact centre operator ResQ already operates from the site.

Part of the plans also include a rooftop terrace for tenant use.

A food hall had been opened at the former department store, which sits in a key gateway site close to Hull Paragon station, in 2021, but closed down in May last year.

Cllr Paul Drake-Davis, portfolio holder for regeneration at the council, said: “This is a significant investment into one of the most iconic buildings in Hull city centre.

“We have already seen the success of ResQ in the former Hammonds of Hull building, thank to support from LUF.

“However, there is still so much potential to unlock and this latest LUF grant, along with almost £2 million of private investment, will help to do that.”